


The Hanged Man Oxidizes

by awkwardfantasy



Category: High Noon Over Camelot - The Mechanisms (Album), The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:41:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28670940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkwardfantasy/pseuds/awkwardfantasy
Summary: Brass doesn't actually rust you know. It can tarnish, but not rust. Its more of a blue-green coating caused by chemical reactions. But that doesn’t make a good song title. In a similar way, saying Merlin spoke three times to give three plot-relevant prophecies makes for a better story than the conversations Brian held with the many people who called Camelot home.
Relationships: Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot (High Noon Over Camelot), Drumbot Brian (The Mechanisms) & Arthur (High Noon Over Camelot), Drumbot Brian (The Mechanisms) & Gawain (High Noon Over Camelot), Drumbot Brian (The Mechanisms) & Guinevere (High Noon Over Camelot), Drumbot Brian (The Mechanisms) & Lancelot (High Noon Over Camelot), Drumbot Brian (The Mechanisms) & Mordred (High Noon Over Camelot), Drumbot Brian (The Mechanisms)/Galahad (High Noon Over Camelot), Lavinia Stone (High Noon Over Camelot) & Drumbot Brian (The Mechanisms)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57





	The Hanged Man Oxidizes

**Author's Note:**

> what if.... they were.... friends.... 
> 
> this was supposed to be something small and lighthearted but here we are! Ty to @moonstonemoonlight (tumblr) for looking over this for me on discord!

"What’s the word from the waste Hanged Man?" 

"Good morning to you too, Sheriff Stone." 

The station’s 'sun' had only just flickered on when one Lavinia Stone had made her way to where Brian was hung. She'd been on edge lately, claiming there'd been too much peace about Camelot for too long. She was expecting something and seemed to think Brian knew just what it was. 

"Hanged Man don't gimmie that shit," She massaged the bridge of her nose and looked back up at him, "we expecting raiders round these parts or no? Or is that prophecy shit o' yours just for show?" 

"I don't know for sure Sheriff, it’s not an exact science" 

Stone raised an eyebrow. "Ain't you the same bitch who took one look at Ohbidiah and sang a song about his cousin bein shot dead? Only for said cousin to die in a barfight a week later?" 

"That would be me," He sighed, "but that doesn't I'm omniscient!" 

She huffed in defeat and kicked at the rust that layered the floor. "Alright then, I have other shit to be dealin with so let me know if you... I don’t know... Feel somethin'" 

"You will be the first to know if I 'feel something' Sheriff. And the singing about death thing is completely normal where I'm from!" 

Lavinia chuckled. "So I have heard. Now you may not be Stone by name or bloo- Do you even have blood? Well, whatever you got inside o' ya, it sure ain't the same as mine but if you need somethin don't you hesitate to call out for me, ya hear? You have a good one Hanged Man." 

She waved him off and walked back to the town hall. Brian sighed. Lavina was a good conversationalist but his switch wouldn't let him mess up the narrative flow to give her fair warning. Oh well, he could only hope whoever was coming wouldn't hang her. 

"WE RULE THIS TOWN!" Lancelot, Brian had heard the name from one of his partners, fired a couple of celebratory shots into the air. His skirt trailing behind him, the ends stained with rust. One of his lovers snorted with laughter as she walked beside him. 

"We just offed about ten people, my love, and you’re here acting like we won the damn lottery!" 

"We just may as well have Gwen! Look at this place!" He gestured at the town around him, "We got running water n everything! The whole shebang!" 

Gwen, Brian was guessing, looked around her before turning back to Lancelot. "Heh, well it is impressive I will give you that."

Lancelot slung his arm around Gwen’s shoulders, who kissed him on the cheek. 

"What about over there?" 

"Over where?" 

Gwen dragged her lover over to where Brian was hanging. 

"Here! Looks like a person all tangled up in wires n that."

Lancelot laughed fondly. "Gwenivere, since when are people made out of metal?" 

Brian scoffed at this. "Honestly? You'd be surprised. It's subjective honestly, am I a person or not? What qualifies someone to be a person? I've debated myself on this a lot, trust me. The answer really varies, depending on who you ask, but I'm pretty sure I am one." 

The two stared at him, unsure how to respond. 

"Welcome to Camelot by the way, great to have you here!" 

"Well, I'll be," Lancelot smiled in disbelief, "Hey Arthur, come see this!" 

Arthur, who had been inspecting some pipes across the square, looked up at his lovers call and walked over. 

"The Stones strung up some robot? Wouldn't put it past em, bunch o-" 

"No love- It talks!" 

Brian groaned internally, he really should be over this by now. "I talk! Can give you a prophecy or some life advice, whatever lifts your starship." 

Arthur looked closer and Brian "So you are..." he squinted at the name written on his chest, "Mrln? Mmrrrlnnn.... Merlin? I'm Arthur, hereby ruler of this here town" he smirked, "This here is Guinivere, the fastest draw you’ll ever find. And this is Lancelot, let’s just say with his aim you’ll never be shot twice!" 

"There’s gonna be plenty of changes round here, with us in charge. Just you wait!" Lancelot spoke. 

Guinivere placed her hands on the other’s shoulders. "Well we got plenty of work to be doin first, so we best get everythin in order. Let’s go my loves." 

And with that they went off, the new Sheriff and his loves rebuilding the town. 

Gawain sat at the bottom of the gallows where Brian hung, arms folded and an unlit cigarette between his teeth.

"First off- I'm not a kid." he sneered. 

"Hey, nobody said you were." It had been a while since somebody had come to talk to the mysterious Merlin to vent. And though he would never admit it, that was clearly what Gawain wanted, and it wasn't his first time coming either, "I know, well its been a few centuries but still, there’s a couple I have who look way younger than their age. They'd definitely shoot you if you brought it up though." 

"I don't look like a kid either!" he spat. 

"So what’s your problem?" 

Gawain rolled his eyes and sat in silence for a minute or two before responding. "Nobody in this town respects me!" he looks at Brian. "What would those friends o' yours do to get respect." 

"Something reckless and/or violent." 

"Hey Arthur did need somebody to head out and get the caravan here... That’d get 'em to shut up for sure! And I wouldn't mind seeing the Pendragon’s kid again either. We're like siblings!" Gawain smiled, a new fire in his eyes, and stood up. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and gestured at Brian. "You wouldn't happen to have a light would you?" 

"Even if I did, I'm a little tied up at the moment." 

Gawain stared back blankly. Brian sighed. 

"I do not." 

The teen shrugged and put the still unlit cigarette back into his mouth. "Thanks for the advice, Merlin!" 

Brian couldn't help but worry about Gawain as he walked off to find Arthur, his mind giving him small glimpses at what the kid was getting himself into. 

Brian’s next advice session was only a couple of weeks after, when Arthur found his way to the gallows in the dead of night, looking like he was on the edge of tears. 

"You’ve been around quite a while, have you ever mourned someone, Merlin?" 

Brian thought as far back as he could, still unable to get a clear memory of anything before dying in the void. He thought about watching his crewmates get up after being shot like it was nothing. He thought about the airlock. 

"I... I don’t know how to answer that, Sheriff." 

"What about the Stone family, you care at all that my lot shot them where they stood?" 

Brian didn't know how to phrase that the Narrative was the Narrative and he'd figured this one out a while back. Instead, he just sighed. 

"Things happen, mortals die, and life goes on. There’s not much you can do about it, Sheriff."

Arthur leaned his head on a nearby wall. 

"That’s it? My kid is DEAD and that’s IT?!" at the point, the gunfighters tears were freefalling. "I don't CARE if its how it goes! It just ain't fair." 

Brian thought again about gradually freezing, fully believing he was alone. He thought about sitting by his friend’s bodies as they slowly regenerated. He thought about how he woke up in the remains of Carmilla’s failed attempt at a family and watched the fallout. 

"No Arthur, it isn't fair! But it still happened. And more like it will happen. And it's okay to hurt but you can't dwell on it forever. You should head home, you've still got a family waiting on you back there." 

Arthur wiped back his tears but didn't look better. 

"You don't know me Hanged Man, and you don't know my family. Goodnight." 

And with that, he left. 

Gawain showed up later that same night. He looked exhausted, like the guy hadn’t seen a bed in weeks. That fire in his eyes was still there though, only this time it seemed to have a different target. 

"Did you know?" was all he said, voice dripping with distain. 

"What do you-" Brian started but was cut off. 

"Simple question! Everyone here knows you can tell the future or some shit! DID. YOU. KNOW." He drew his gun and took a step further. "Did you know they weren't gonna make it!? Did you know what those- those MONSTERS were gonna do?! Simple question Hanged Man. Did you know?"

Brian was quiet for a second. 

"I can't answer that Gawain." he finally spoke. 

Gawain seemed to already know the answer when he asked, but that didn't stop him from welling up with tears. "YOU- YOU PIECE OF-" 

He shot Brian clean in the head. And again. And again. Tears blurred his vision, skewing his aim, leaving Brian’s hanging body and the area around it riddled with bullets. When Gawain went into town the next day and saw him hanging like normal, neither of them spoke a word. 

The day when Mordred showed up, years later, was just like any other day. It'd been a while since anyone had come speak to Brian so any company, however brief, was appreciated. 

He made his way into town like any other traveller and approached Brian the same way anyone who’d heard of The Hanged Man would. 

"Would I be right in thinkin this town is Camelot?" 

"You would be, this is Camelot." 

"And I'm glad of it. I'm not exactly from ‘round here- Well I am, but it’s been a long while. Name’s Mordred!" 

"Nice to meet you Mordred, can I ask what brings you to Camelot?" 

"Well... I wasn't gonna tell anybody just yet but... Could you keep a secret?" 

"My lips are sealed!" 

And so Mordred told Brian everything. Who he was, what had really happened that day, where he'd been, and why he'd come. 

"That is... quite a story." 

"Sure is, but it’s mine. And I'd quite like it to have a happy ending." 

"Good luck with that, and y’know what? You look so much like your father, anyone who sees you and doesn't think you’re family has no idea what they're on about." 

Mordred grinned "Thanks. And thanks for the luck too, I'll need it!" 

He waved to Brian and walked towards the town hall. And was right back an hour later. 

"Nobody recognised me. Not a soul!" 

Brian sucked in a breath through his teeth. 

"It’s alright though, I've got plenty of time to end this stupid war or feud or whatever it is. Thanks for believing in me... uh... Did I get your name?" 

"Well, most people around here just call me 'The Hanged Man' but my name is actually..." Brian looked down (or was it up? being upside down is weird) at his chest and sighed. He was already tangled deep in this story now. Might as well commit to it. "Merlin. My name is Merlin." 

"Happy to meet you, Merlin! Do you uh. Do you need help getting down from there?" 

"It's this whole thing, I committed a crime that I'm serving punishment for. I have to stay here until the original person ends my sentence, otherwise, it’s against my moral code." 

Mordred shrugged. "I can respect that. Nice talking with you Merlin, glad at least one person in this town knows me. I have some business to attend to so, I'll see you ‘round!" 

And off he went, spirits still high. 

This wasn't Galahad’s first visit to Camelot, far from it. After all, there was only so much land a wandering preacher could wander. It had been a while though, so Merlin smiled as he saw him stride into town. 

His first stop (after only yelling his cause to a few Camelot citizens) was where the Hanged Man hung. 

"Hey preacher-man, it’s been a while." 

"Sure has, sorry 'bout that. It's good to see you." 

Merlin smiled. "Good to see you too. I'm going by Merlin now, just so you know." 

Galahad smiled back. "Nice name, it fits you." 

More like I fit IT, Merlin thought privately. The thought left his head though as Galahad leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. The preacher immediately winced, metal skin on an especially hot day and all. 

"Sorry bout that," Merlin said in an almost whisper. 

"Hey! Ain't your fault, it’s this damn heat! Keeps getting worse every day." Galahad sat next to the gallow. "Town’s under new management, huh?" 

Merlin laughed and the two sat talking until nightfall hit when Galahad bid his farewell to prepare to yell at Camelot about whatever he'd picked up this time. Merlin found his passion charming honestly. 

And so it continued, the people of Camelot would speak with him about whatever they needed to. Until he woke up with three prophecies, only listened to by the one he secretly hoped would stay. 

When Galahad left with the Pendragons in search for the G.R.A.I.L, they left Mordred and Gawain in charge. They each came to him for their own reasons. Mordred for advice or an open ear to listen to him, and Gawain to yell at something or just to see someone some part of him registered as a friend. 

When Mordred left to bring the Saxons to Camelot, Merlin almost wished he could call out and stop him. But it wasn't his place to do that. Not anymore. 

War broke out that day on Camelot. Something in both Gawain and Mordred snapped, and its aftermath left very few to speak of it. The Hanged Man, however, was one of those few, as he walked to the town hall to find Mordred crouched alone on the floor and covered in the gore of countless Saxons and Camelot residents alike. 

"So this is it huh?" he whispered to no one in particular. 

"I'm afraid it is," Brian said as he sat down next to him. 

Mordred turned his head. "Merlin? But I thought-" 

"Its a long story but, I'm not Merlin anymore. And a stray bullet flipped my switch so my moral code is also flipped" was what Brian said. What he didn’t say was that he had left the role of Merlin as the story came to a close. That Mordred was the last one left.

Mordred gave a half laugh half sob. "I don't- I don't know what that means" 

Brian smiled sadly. "No one’s expecting you to. Too much has been expected from you, but not this." 

He put his arm around Mordred who sank into what was most likely his last kind touch. "What is your name then?" he asked. 

"Brian. DrumBot Brian." 

"I don't know what that means either but... I think that’s okay... Brian... Nice name." Mordred’s eyes were getting heavy, the heat from the approaching sun finally setting in. Brian just held him closer, hoping that he could give him even a second of comfort. 

"Hey, Brian... Do you think we could've done it..? Made peace I mean..." 

For the first time in centuries, Brian found himself on EJM. Meaning for the first time in centuries, he could tell a lie. If he wanted to, that is. He pondered for a moment. 

"No, not this time. I'm sorry." 

And Brian watched as the world fell into the sun.


End file.
